Tie Stalls in Germany
We all know the advertising pictures with satisfied cows on sunny flower meadows. Light years away from this idyll is the reality of cows living their lives in tie stalls. That means: being tethered at their neck, no freedom of movement, a life in chains in the very same spot. In Germany, one in four cows is kept tethered in the barn. This form of housing is also widespread in other EU countries.
What are the Animals Suffering From?
In 2010, about 27% of 'dairy' cows in Germany were still kept in tie stalls. That is over 1.3 million animals (source: Federal Statistical Office). Most tethered cows are kept in southern Germany. In 2017, in Bavaria, over 190,000 animals are kept tethered all year round – without any grazing. In other EU countries, too, e. g. Austria, Poland and Spain, this housing system is still widespread.
Tethered housing contradicts the basic needs of cows, all scientific findings on species-appropriate cattle husbandry, as well as the requirements of the Animal Welfare Act. Nevertheless, Denmark is so far the only EU state that explicitly prohibits tethering by law from 2022. In the rest of the EU, the dairy and meat industries have so far successfully prevented an explicit ban.
Photo Gallery
Tied up in the stable - fed with grass from the pastures. For the farmer it is easier to bring the grass to the cows than the sensitive 'high performance' cow to the grass.
Tied at the front, the hind legs and udder on the grating.
Tethered, with too little room to lie and rest at the same time.
Since the legs of the neighbouring cow are in the way, this cow cannot lie down. The chain prevents her from finding another place to lie down. She must stand.
No bedding. A life on concrete.
The lack of bedding can lead to swollen joints and lying wounds.
In many tethered stables the cows have to calve at the chain.
One-sided water trough, making species-appropriate drinking impossible.
What Animals' Angels Does Against it
Animals' Angels has been campaigning for ending tie stalls since 2009. With our project 'The Dignity of Cows', we started the long overdue debate on this subject throughout Germany in 2015.
Still in 2015, all major veterinary associations joined our cause and publicly demanded a ban on tethering. In March 2015, the Scientific Advisory Board for Agricultural Policy also classified tethering as problematic and sees an urgent need for action.
In April 2016, 14 out of 16 federal states voted in favour of a nationwide legal ban on this outdated form of housing in the German Bundesrat. Its implementation, however, has to this day been blocked by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture.
In 2017, we legally challenged tethering by filing eight criminal complaints against farmers.
Increasingly, dairies and supermarket chains are also considering no longer purchasing milk from tethered housing systems. This is putting pressure on dairy farms.
Numerous federal states now offer support programs for farmers to help convert from tethered housing to free-stall systems.
Our persistence stems from the injustice that is done to cattle when they have to live their lives in small, dark stables with a chain around their neck. This is incompatible with the designation of animal welfare as a national objective. A wealth of expert opinions and large parts of the German veterinary profession support our concern.
We are convinced that tethering will soon be a thing of the past. Until then, we will stay with the animals.
![[Translate to englisch:] Sophie Greger](/fileadmin/_processed_/2/f/csm_SG_81d13d7130.jpg "[Translate to englisch:] Sophie Greger")
Project Leader:
Sophie Greger
